Whitaker Laboratory, the multigenerational family business founded 42 years ago by Joe Whitaker, has been named the 2012 Georgia Family Business of the year by the Cox Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University, making it just the second Savannah business in 20 years to be selected for the award.

Byrd Cookie Company won the award in 1996, and Case Veterinary Hospital and Gretsch Co. have won Century Awards, given for family businesses in existence more than 100 years.

This year’s awards ceremony will be held Nov. 14 in Atlanta, and Whitaker will be featured in the November issue of Georgia Trend magazine.

“These family businesses are great examples of how family and business mix well for the benefit of our communities,” said Joe Astrachan, executive director of the Cox Family Enterprise Center.

“These families have shown how care and concern for employees, customers and the community can insulate us all against the ravages of rampant self-interest and outright greed.”

Whitaker Laboratory, which won in the small business catergory, was selected from more than 1,000 nominated companies across the state.

The company currently spans three generations: Founder and now vice president Joe, 76, is in the office every day; his son and president, Joseph, 52, has primary responsibility for running the company. Joseph’s son, Joseph Michael, 28, is becoming the face of the company — building relationships and marketing the family’s expertise.

At 3 years and 18 months, Joseph Michael’s daughter and son represent the next generation — so far.

“They are the workforce of 2033,” Joseph said with a grin.

‘Here, everyone’s family’

The company that specializes in ensuring buildings — from residential to high rises — and their surrounding grounds are safe and up to industry standards, is no stranger to awards. In 2010, Whitaker was awarded the Small Business of the Year by the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce.

But this one is particularly gratifying, said Joseph, because it recognizes family businesses.

“When we talk family, we’re talking more than three generations of Whitakers,” he said.

“My dad has always said that a company gets its strength from its people — and a strong company will thrive in the good times and survive in the lean.”

With that philosophy in mind, Whitaker Laboratory made it through the recession without any reduction in force.

“Here, everyone is family,” Joseph said. “Why punish good people for something that they can’t control?”

Instead, he got creative.

“When work was slow, we sent people to get certifications and more education so they would be more valuable — and eligible for promotions — when work picked back up,” Joseph said.

Not surprisingly, there has been little turnover among Whitaker’s 35 full-time employees.

“I’ve been here since 1986, and I can count the number of people we’ve lost on my fingers,” he said.

The company pays for its employees’ health insurance, covers each with life insurance and offers a 401(k) retirement plan.

“It’s just something we do, something my father has always believed was the right thing to do. If it makes us a little less profitable, so be it. I tend to think it comes back to us in other ways. ”

‘Not on my watch’

Joseph Whitaker generally is a pretty happy, easygoing person. But don’t talk to him about the statistical likelihood of family businesses not making it past the second or third generation.

“We’ve heard it time and again,” he said. “But this business is not going to die on my watch, nor on my son’s watch or my grandchildren’s watch.

“That’s what drives me — making sure we are looking to the future to stay as tuned in and relevant as we’ve been in the past.”

That means keeping up with rapidly changing technology and staying competitive with large national firms that have moved into the market.

“It’s not easy,” he said. “New technology requires expensive new equipment. While the big firms can share it among multiple locations, we have to bear that cost by ourselves.”

There are advantages, too.

“Because we have the equipment right here, we often can be faster with results and evaluations,” he said. “Our folks are highly trained and certified, so we’re never waiting for someone to come in and read those results or operate that machinery.”

And, there’s something to be said for institutional knowledge.

Joseph pointed to a local bank that paid one of his competitors thousands of dollars to do a study on a piece of property in which the bank was interested.

“I was very familiar with that property,” he said. “In one free phone call I could have told them why they needed to stay far away from it.

“After 42 years, we pretty much know the lay of the land.”

ABOUT THE AWARD

The 2012 Georgia Family Business of the Year award is presented in four size categories by the Cox Family Enterprise Center in the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University. A group of faculty members narrows the pool of nominations, with final selections made by a group of outside business experts. Companies are judged on a number of criteria, including strong commitment to business and family.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

For more than 40 years, Whitaker Laboratory LLC has been the first step in building landmark projects throughout the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry, including the Savannah Civic Center, Oglethorpe Mall, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport and the Talmadge Bridge.

The company tests and evaluates soil, concrete, asphalt and other building materials to make sure they are healthy and safe for their intended use and is often called in to consult on projects in the design phase.